Land navigation is one of the skills taught at Cadet Summer Training (CST) at Fort Knox, Ky., but DePaul University Army ROTC Green to Gold Cadet Ryan Russett, 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp, had prior experience that made this challenging event easier. “I applied my points really quickly” he said, and then, “I just picked the shortest path which was — to the south first.”
Russett is from Chicago, where his program honed his navigation skills further as a Green to Gold Cadet. To his advantage, the ROTC program at his university comes to Fort Knox to do their Field Training Exercises (FTX).
“This is my third or fourth time on this course, so I’m generally use to this,” said Russett.
Another advantage that helped him during the event was the practice he had during his prior enlisted service. Russett was stationed at Fort Drum, in New York, for three and a half years where he earned the rank of Sergeant. There, his commander told him that he had what it took to become an officer. This and the fact that he really enjoys land navigation inspired him to begin the process to commission, “this is really fun for me,” he said.
It was during his time in Afghanistan that he received his scholarship to go Green to Gold and become a commissioned officer.
Though Russett enjoys the process of navigation, his ultimate goal is to use his skills and enter the concentrated field of cybersecurity for the Army like his brother did.
